Qualifying Credit-Earning Activities

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Recertification is required every three years. Professionals need to earn 60 professional development credits (PDCs) in order to recertify.

SHRM has addressed the needs of HR professional by creating three avenues by which SHRM-CP and SHRM-SCP credential-holders can earn recertification credits:
Advance Your Education,
Advance Your Organization, and
Advance Your Profession.

PDCs are calculated in 15-minute increments. Each 15- minute increment = .25, or a quarter, of one hour. 1-hour educational program = 1 PDC

ADVANCE YOUR ORGANIZATION / 20 PDC maximum per recertification period

Work Projects

Supervisor-endorsed work projects that meet or support organizational goals and demonstrate or advance capabilities in one or more HR Competencies. To be awarded credit, upload documentation to your certification portal providing a defined project objective, a description of the project and your level of involvement, and how the project related to all applicable HR competencies.

PDCs are calculated based on time spent working on a project. Qualifying work projects fall into one of only two categories:

10 PDCs for the completion of an HR-related project that involved 50+ hours of work

20 PDCs for the completion of an HR-related project that involved 100+ hours of work

NOTE: Due to the COVID-19 situation, SHRM has revised work project requirements to focus only on the number of hours dedicated to the implementation and completion of a qualified project. System adjustments are in progress. As a short-term workaround, please enter a 3-month or 6-month date span that aligns with your cycle when adding your work project activity to your record.

ADVANCE YOUR PROFESSION / 30 PDC Maximum per recertification period

Thought Leadership and Volunteer Activities

Activities that contribute to the development of the HR profession and the community.

These categories parallel the
SHRM Body of Competency and Knowledge(SHRM BoCK) three main elements of Strategic Mindset/Effective Individual Performance, Successful Business Outcomes and Advancing the HR Profession, respectively—further evidence of the relevance of these credentials to the contemporary practice of HR.